Those Who Stay Behind (In The Land Of The Living)
by AHaddock3
Summary: It is the last battle of the last war between dragons and humans. Hiccup is king, and all Viking tribes have joined him to fight against the dragon Furious and his army. But Hiccup doesn't want the dragons dead. Toothless doesn't want the humans dead. What can they possibly do? Three-shot. CHAPTERS 2 AND 3 RATED M FOR VIOLENCE, BLOOD, AND CHARACTER DEATHS. Yes, that's plural.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hello, all. Look, I know I said I'd do regular updates on my other stories, but this plot idea has been biting me in the typing fingers for months, saying "write me! write me! write me!"**

 **I finally decided to listen...**

 **So, this is gonna be a three-shot (is that even a thing? I think it is.) and I feel like I need to give decent warning.**

 **CHAPTERS TWO AND THREE WILL BE M-RATED!**

 **Not for sexual content, but for BLOOD, VIOLENCE, and CHARACTER DEATHS(yes, you read that right, it's plural). Just...no graphic descriptions of death..at least I don't think so. Okay. Here we go.**

CHAPTER ONE

Hiccup sat atop his wooden throne, watching over his people as they prepared for battle. He had never wanted this war to happen, but it was his fault. He had released the dragon Furious from his prison under the island of Berserk.

* * *

He could still remember the terror of walking through those doors and seeing an eye open, an eye as big as sixteen tall men, wide as the wings of two Typhoomerangs. Watching the beast rise up onto his four massive legs, and Hiccup's terror had only intensified when the dragon spoke.

"You, human. What are you doing here? Did the other monsters sacrifice you? Should I eat you? Did you come down here because you had a death wish?"

Hiccup had managed to choke out, "No..I'm looking for my dragon."

Furious had laughed, and the sound brought dust raining down from the ceiling.

" _Your_ dragon? That dragon is not yours, or anyone else's. He is his own. But, then again, humans are monsters enough to think they can own their own kind, so what is a dragon to them?"

"He's not my slave!" Hiccup had burst out. "He's my best friend!"

Furious's ears twitched. "Your _best friend._ How quaint. Tell me, do human hatchlings grow stupider as they grow older?"

"It's the truth."

"Of course it is."

Hiccup had turned to leave, but Furious had stopped him.

"By the way, I know where the Night Fury is."

Hiccup whipped around. "Where is he? Is he aright? How do you know?"

Furious chuckled darkly. "I know because he is my kind, and he has been screaming for you for the past ten minutes."

"Is he is pain? Where is he? TELL ME!"

Furious extended his claws, twenty five feet of razor sharp death. "No. I won't tell you where he is. But...yes, he is in pain. So is that human girl...what's her name? Heather? They've got her chained up. And your other friends."

"Why?"

"For the Ceremony."

"What Ceremony?"

"The Dead Of Night Ceremony."

"What's the Dead Of Night Ceremony?"

"It is when the Berserkers sacrifice all of their enemies...to _me_."

Hiccup's mouth went dry. "What-"

"They will be my supper. Wait...what's that?"

Furious cocked his gargantuan head to one side.

"Oh...I see."

"What? What is it?"

"I hear two heartbeats in one body."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"The blond human female..in the cell with the..." Furious took a deep sniff.

"...Nadder..." Hiccup's breath caught. _Astrid..._

Furious looked down at Hiccup. "If she were my kind, I would say that she is carrying an egg. But she is human. She is carrying a human cub."

Hiccup couldn't move. He and Astrid had been married for several months...but this was so sudden, so...wrong. Not here. He shouldn't have found out here. He should have found out at home, with everyone safe and sound, not captured by Heather's crazy cousin who wanted to feed them all to Furious.

Furious chuckled. "A bit surprised, human?"

"Why?" Hiccup choked out. "Why do you eat humans?"

Furious growled. "Why do humans eat dragon?"

"Vikings don't! It's the Romans!"

"Doesn't matter. Humans are humans."

"What do you want? I'll give you anything. Will you help us? Will you..not eat anyone?"

Furious lowered his great head down to Hiccup's level and stared at him with a huge, acid-green eye.

"Free me." He rumbled.

"What?"

"Free me. I will help you tonight. But after that I will call the dragons to war. I will wipe out the scourge of humans from this world and leave it for my own kind. Humans are so petty, so violent, so stupid and vain and self-centered and cruel. Did you know what Romans do to some of their prisoners? No. And you don't want to either. And you Vikings. Your tribe condones keeping slaves, even though it is outlawed on Berk. You're no better than the rest of them."

Hiccup was speechless, frantic, planning, thinking...

"Give us a year." He blurted.

"What?"

"Give us a year of freedom. Then you can come. But we will fight back."

"I expect nothing less. Then do we have an accord?"

"We do."

"Swear it on your life."

"I swear on my life to release you, as per our deal."

"Good..."

* * *

"Daddy?"

Hiccup was pulled out of his memories by a little girl with blond hair and green eyes, coming over to sit by him.

"Hey, baby." Hiccup said softly. Toothless lifted his tired head up from his paws to sniff at the girl before resting again.

The girl stood before him in a pale green dress, shivering in the cold early morning air.

"C'mere, Ashala."

He picked her up and cuddled her, trying to keep her warm.

"Daddy, what's going to happen? Mama said that the dragons want to fight us. Why do the dragons want to fight us? Tickle likes me. And Toothless likes you."

Hiccup sighed.

"Did no one tell you anything?"

"No."

"Well, there's a big Alpha dragon, like Toothless, named Furious, doesn't like humans at all. He wants us all dead. So he put the dragons under something called the Red-Rage. It means that they can't think for themselves and have to do whatever Furious says. They whisper mean things about humans to scare us. There are some dragons who aren't under the Red-Rage and just don't like humans. Furious is over there at Dead Man's Cove-" Hiccup pointed across the bay- "and he and his dragons are going to come and fight with us. But I have a plan. I have something that Furious is scared of. The only thing he's scared of. I'm going to tell him that if he doesn't release the dragons from the Red-Rage and go away forever, then I'm going to hurt him with it."

"Are you going to hurt him, Daddy?" Ashala twisted to look up at him.

Hiccup hesitated before answering her. "I don't know."

"Hiccup."

He looked up. All of his friends and allies and family were there, with looks in his eyes that he knew meant that they wanted to say goodbye. Just in , most of them, at least. Astrid came and picked up Ashala, who squirmed and wrapped her arms around Astrid's neck.

"Hiccup, it's time."

He nodded and stood up.

Valka came and wrapped her arms around her son. "Fight well." she whispered. She released him and stepped back.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut came forward next.

"Hiccup...you go tell that dragon." Ruffnut said weakly.

"Yeah. Give him Hel from us." Tuffnut said.

"Come back safely." Eret told him.

"I always knew yeh had it in yeh, Hiccup." Gobber said with an overenthusiastic hug. "Knock 'em dead. Well, yeh know wha' I mean."

"Good luck." Heather clapped him on the shoulder. "We've got your back."

Camicazi hugged him so hard he thought his ribs would crack. "Don't you die on me, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third."

"Thank you for everything, Hiccup." Fishlegs said. "I'd be dead now if it wasn't for you."

"We'll take care of things down 'ere." Alvin told him.

The other Chiefs and Chieftainesses all came and offered Hiccup good luck, or fight safe, or come back, King.

Excellinor spat at his feet and told him she was only doing this because the alternative was death.

Viggo and Ryker, her sons, at least had the decency to pretend to be polite.

"You've always been a worthy opponent, Hiccup." Viggo said. "Though if you die, you do know that I'll take up your spot as King and kill your family, right?" He smiled and moved on.

Ryker growled out, "Family is everything. However, even though you're related to me, my only fealty to you is because you're my King. Remember that, Haddock."

Astrid wrapped her arms around him, and he snaked his around her waist. Ashala clung to both of them.

"I love you, Hiccup."

"I love you, Astrid."

"What about me?"

They smiled at her.

"We love you, too, Ashala"

They three stood tangled together, until the sound of thousands of dragons roaring echoed from Dead Man's Cove, and then they broke apart.

"Positions." Hiccup ordered tersely. Astrid took Ashala and ran off. Everyone else scattered to different spots in the ruined city, and Hiccup could hear them ordering their forces to attention.

 _We will stand together,_ Hiccup thought defiantly, knowing Furious could hear. _We will stand together, and fight together, all Vikings, united, for the first time in a thousand years. We will prevail. We will win. Do you hear me, Furious? You're going down._

Toothless came up and stood at Hiccup's side and growled at the masses and masses of dragons rising into the air across the bay, thousands and thousands, blocking out the sunrise, turning the sky dark. Little pinpoints of light from torches and the few dragons on the human's side were the only sources of light.

 _We will win, Furious. You remember, don't you? You remember loving a human like a brother. Why would you throw that away? It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is us stopping you before you hurt anyone else. We will release the dragons you are forcing to fight. Forcing to abandon nests, abandon hatchlings, abandon wounded mates and siblings and children. You hear? We're going to stop you._

An immense, colossal, mountainous shape rose up among the flock of dragons, and his roar was so loud that Hiccup's hair flew back and he clenched his eyes shut for a moment.

" ** _I WILL DESTROY YOU, HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK THE THIRD! I WILL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!_** "

Hiccup swung up onto the saddle.

"Let's go, bud."

* * *

 **A/N Hi..so, as you may have noticed, this is a crossover of the books and the movies. I just sort of took the story line of the books and added it to the movies. So...yeah. Please don't hate on this. Thank you for reading it. It means a lot to me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hi...here's the next chapter in Those Who Stay Behind (In The Land Of The Living).**

 **THIS CHAPTER IS M-RATED.**

 **And I want to apologize beforehand, I know that those of you who are serious HTTYD fans will totally hate me for this. Heck,** ** _I_** **hate what I'm doing to our poor characters.**

 **So...try not to leave angry reviews? Please?**

 **Review Replies:**

 **midnightsky0612: Yes, it is intense! Also, excuse my sentence structure...I meant to say "just in case" when Hiccup saw that his friends and family wanted to say goodbye, but...computers. What can you do?**

Chapter Two

Hiccup and Toothless slalomed through the masses of dragons. They all swerved around them, aiming for the Vikings on the ground. Every single one knew that Furious wanted Hiccup for himself. Vicious battle cries from the ground joined into the screeching and roaring and bellowing of the dragons. The clanging of weapons against claws and teeth rose up, combined with agonized screams, and sickening ripping sounds joined with a crackling of flames.

Catapult boulders flew through the air, and dragon traps of the most brutal kind were set almost everywhere. The sickening, wet-iron smell of human blood filled the air, mixed up with the more acidic smell of dragon's blood.

Hiccup was against all this, he was completely against the battle, the war, people hurting each other. Dragons were people too, after all. He was only condoning it for as long as he needed to get Furious to listen to him.

Suddenly the flock of dragons parted before Hiccup and Toothless, giving them a clear path to Furious.

"FURIOUS!" Hiccup called out. "Stop this! Now!"

Furious turned his massive head towards Hiccup and Toothless, and so small were they compared to him that they were barely as large as his iris.

"SHADOW HUNTER!" Furious said angrily. "How dare you allow a human to ride on your back? YOU ARE AN INSULT TO DRAGONHOOD!"

Toothless roared, and even though Hiccup couldn't understand, he had a feeling that Toothless was cussing Furious out, because Furious threw back his head and laughed before saying, "My, what a dirty mouth for one so young! It is no matter. You will die with him, if he means that much to you."

"Furious! I understand why you're doing this. But you don't have to! Humans and dragons can live side by side, we can work together, I know it, I've lived that way for the past fifteen years! Call off your army! Please! We can figure this out. We can-"

Hiccup was cut off as Furious roared out, "HUMANS AND DRAGONS CAN _NEVER_ LIVE IN PEACE, BOY! Once, I thought as you did. I thought we would all be the best of friends for all of our lifetimes. But I was a fool. You are a fool. I have lived for a thousand years, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, and I have seen more than you could ever dream of! To me, you are a child. You cannot even begin to comprehend why-"

"But you loved him."

"What?"

Furious was momentarily speechless. Hiccup took advantage of this and dove in.

"Hiccup the Second. You loved him. He was your brother, like Toothless is mine. Remember? Your mother left you. The Grimler nest-mother took you in just like she did Hiccup the Second. You grew up with him. You and him were always there for each other, always together, always caring. Don't you remember? That's how most of us are with our dragons. Please, Furious, let this war end. It has to."

Furious chuckled, a low evil laugh that made the ground tremble.

"You've been talking to Odin'sFang. And yes, boy, this war _will_ end. But it will end on my terms. With the human race extinguished once and for all. Yes, I loved Hiccup. But did Odin'sFang tell you the rest?"

Furious's voice lowered if that was possible, and he said, "Hiccup's own father killed him. And why?"

Furious's voice rose to an anguished roar.

"Because of the hatred and pettiness of humans! Hiccup's brothers were jealous and power-hungry, and told their father lies. They RUINED HIS LIFE!"

Hiccup tried to speak, but Furious wouldn't listen.

"And who are you, to think you can tell me what to do? Stupid human. Here you are, bedecked with the things of a King, thinking that having them will make you one. You have the second-best sword, the shield, the heart's stone, the crab's claw necklace, everything else. But you are nothing, boy. YOU ARE NOTHING!"

"But..." Hiccup trailed off. Wait, what?

The crab's claw necklace wasn't a King's Thing.

Hiccup's mind went into overdrive.

* * *

He had panicked for a minute when The Druid Guardian of the Ruined City had told them that the Jewel that was brought was a fake. Hiccup was horrified, yet somehow elated. He had been right!

Grimbeard's map _had_ been a red herring after all...as Toothless had so kindly pointed out.

And the Dragon Jewel was the only thing Furious feared. If it was broken, then the curse inside would be released and utterly destroy the dragon race. Hiccup planned on using it to threaten Furious. Viggo had planned on using it to destroy Furious. It had been seven years, now, seven long years of them fighting across the world, hunting the King's Things, Viggo backstabbing and torturing and lying to get what he wanted, Hiccup only doing it at all because he wanted the dragons to live. Hiccup had always gotten to the Things first.

Then, at the Ten-Year Harvest Party, which every tribe attended every ten years, Viggo's mother, Excellinor, had challenged the tribes. She told them...she told them of Hiccup releasing Furious. She told them of Furious's promise to destroy the human race. She told them that the only way to survive was to call a new king. She told them to hold a swordfighting competition, in which the winner would take the throne. They would have ten days to prepare. Then all Hel would break loose.

Mysterious accidents had happened to all the best swordfighters...Big-Boobied Bertha, Hotshot the Hero, Camicazi, Mogadon the Meathead, and others. They couldn't fight. So Hiccup hadn't shown off his prowess, once he noticed what was happening.

Then Excellinor had tricked him into going deep under the castle with Camicazi and Thuggory the Meathead, and they had found the second-to last King's Thing. The crown.

Then Hiccup had won the contest. Viggo had come in third. But...Snotlout had been so angry, so bitter and jealous that Hiccup had gotten everything Snotlout had ever wanted..Hiccup got the girl, got the chiefdom, won the contest, become the hero. That skinny little runt would not get away with it.

So Snotlout had thrown a stone. That was it. Just thrown a stone. The stone had knocked off Hiccup's helmet. The knocked-off helmet revealed...

The Slavemark.

According to Viking law, no matter who a person was or what they had done, if they were branded a slave then they were a slave forever. The mark would never come off.

So Hiccup was disqualified. Thuggory, who had come in second, was disqualified for knowing about the Mark. Which meant...

Viggo had won.

Hiccup had lost.

Excellinor invited the tribes to turn their backs on him. Most of the tribes did so willingly. The Bog-Burglars and Hooligans were less inclined to do so, but eventually had to. Fishlegs and the twins had given Hiccup betrayed looks, as had Gobber and Camicazi. Snotlout looked triumphant. He was now the Chief, being Hiccup's cousin and all. Astrid had been unable to move. She had clutched their five-year old daughter to her chest and stared at Hiccup in horror and pain. Finally, she had given him a look of utter agony and turned around. Everyone had turned their backs. On the way out, Fishlegs had slipped Hiccup his lobster-claw necklace and whispered, "because you're my friend. It's my most lucky thing. I hope it keeps you safe."

It was then that Furious attacked, and placed all domestic dragons under the Red-Rage. Toothless was able to escape the Rage, and helped Sharpshot and Hiccup's new friend Odin'sFang to do so as well. Hiccup had bluffed about having the Dragon Jewel, which made Furious sic every dragon in the place on him. Hiccup had fled.

He had lived rough for a year. Alone with Toothless, Sharpshot and Odin'sFang, he had strategized and hoped and planned and sprung dragon traps and freed dragons.

Odin'sFang had finally convinced Hiccup to go after the Jewel...in the Amber Slavelands. Hiccup had gone in disguise, and been slightly hurt though very gratified when no one recognized him. Nobody at all. Astrid and Ashala and Fishlegs had all been caught and branded, because they were the closest to Hiccup, but nobody could find Valka. She was on the run, too, just like her son.

Fishlegs had gone missing in the search for the Jewel that Excellinor had put all slaves on. There was talk of a monster. Astrid had inexplicably vanished a week after arriving in the Slavelands. And Ashala had made friends with a little girl named Eggingarde, who had been a slave for as long as she could remember.

Everything was wrong.

Noble warriors and chiefs and chieftainesses were now in the slave pit. Bullies and thugs and fools were at the high table.

Hiccup had almost gagged when he'd seen the Slavemark blazing on Gobber's forehead. Heather was sitting alone with the Slavemark burned on her forearm. And many more.

Hiccup had been kidnapped in the night. It turned out that Astrid had set up an Escape Service with a bunch of shieldmaidens, taking random slaves and letting them run. When she realized it was him, she'd wept and held him tightly as if never to let go, and begged his forgiveness for turning her back. Had he given it to her? Of course he had. Astrid hadn't been able to get close enough to Ashala to fetch her yet, and begged Hiccup to come with her, but he refused. He had to find Fishlegs. He had to find the Jewel.

After a long adventure in which Hiccup had learned that some dragons really are monsters, Fishlegs learned that he was adopted, and his mother's dragon had come to Hiccup's side, Hiccup was kidnapped by none other than Valka, who wouldn't speak to him and delivered him to Excellinor.

Valka had heard Excellinor out, still saying nothing, then took the Slavemark upon herself. "This was a mark of honor and glory," she had said, "And it can become one again. Show me who you are. Are you Vikings, or are you cowards with no honor?"

Chaos ensued.

Families and tribes were torn apart as people rushed to get the newly renamed Dragon Mark, or rushed to the ships with Viggo to escape the oncoming dragon attack.

There were only twelve days during which a person of the right lineage, and bearing the King's Things, could become King. They were the twelve days of Doomsday, or Yule, and they were forty-eight hours from being over.

Hiccup went to take them The King's Things back, but...Snotlout betrayed him again, then asked Hiccup to kill him. Snotlout wanted to be a hero, to be better than Hiccup, but in the end, he couldn't. He was nothing but a traitor. A traitor to both sides. Hiccup refused to kill his cousin, though Snotlout forced Hiccup to fight him.

Snotlout had died for the Dragon Riders.

However, he had been riding Toothless at the time, and nobody was close enough to see that it was him, so...everyone though that Hiccup was dead. Excellinor and Viggo brought Hiccup's helmet and Hiccup's dragon to Viggo's coronation, in order to break Hiccup's family.

Hiccup had been caught in a storm, hit his head, his ship was wrecked, and then he completely lost his memory.

But he had done as he was told, he'd gone to the Ruined City to become king, even though he hadn't had a whisper of hope.

Seeing Toothless had brought back his memory and he convinced the tribes to let him become king instead.

So imagine his horror when the Druid Guardian told him the the Jewel was fake.

* * *

Toothless growled, pulling Hiccup out of his frantic thoughts.

"FURIOUS!" Hiccup yelled. "I HAVE THE DRAGON JEWEL!" Furious froze.

"What?"

* * *

Down on the ground, Fishlegs was battling a couple of Scauldrons. He didn't want to hurt them, but he was hard pressed. Suddenly, Viggo appeared out of nowhere and slit their throats. They dropped to the ground, thrashing and hissing while their necks poured green blood.

"Take better care of yourself, Ingerman." Viggo regarded Fishlegs for a moment before jumping onto a Snafflefang's back and sinking his sword between its ribs.

"Viggo!" Excellinor came running out of the fray, her white dress dirty and stained with green.

"Yes, mother?"

"Where is the crab's claw necklace? Give it here! Now!"

Viggo stared. "The what? Why?"

"Oh, sweet mother of Thor, son, don't tell me you lost it!" Excellinor screeched.

"That worthless heirloom? What would I want with it?"

"You fool! Youfoolyoufoolyoufool!" Excellinor screamed in a towering rage. "You gods damned idiot!"

"Why would I want it?!" Viggo yelled back. "I gave it to a princess I had an affair with years ago!"

Fishlegs was listening and he froze at this. What?

"Which one!? Which one?!" Excellinor was still shrieking at her son.

"The daughter of the Chief of the Murderous tribe! Why?!"

Fishlegs paled. His mother had been the child of a Murderous Chief. She had been forced to put him out to sea in a basket on the day he was born because he was born out of wedlock. The Ingermans had found him on the beach on Berk. _Oh, dear Thor, please no..._

"What was her name?" Fishlegs interrupted.

Viggo and Excellinor turned to him.

"What? Duck!" Viggo swung his sword and whipped off the head of a Flame Tail that was dive-bombing them.

"What was the name of the princess you gave the necklace to?"

"Termagant. Why?"

"She was my mother."

Viggo, Excellinor, and Fishlegs stared at each other for a few seconds before Excellinor burst into laughter.

"Well, son, it seems I have a grandchild."

Viggo regarded Fishlegs with disdain for a moment before smirking. "I never wanted a son. But I suppose we can train you up. What an embarrassment."

Fishlegs's face burned red for a moment in shame. Then he got mad.

"YOU are the embarrassment, Grimborn! You...you MONSTER! How could you hurt people just for the fun of it?! Kill them, kill dragons, betray people who trust you!? My mother LOVED you! And I don't see how, because you are despicable and cruel and..and...vile and twisted and EVIL, but she did! How COULD YOU!?"

* * *

Hiccup yanked the crab's claw necklace from around his neck and frantically tried to crack it open, but it wouldn't.

"What did you say, Haddock?" Furious asked in a dangerous tone.

"Toothless." Hiccup held the necklace down by Toothless's mouth. Toothless knew what he wanted. He turned his head and cracked the claws with his gums.

Hiccup raised the necklace back up to his eye level, and stared at what it contained.

The Dragon Jewel.

Made of amber, inscribed with the Stoker Class symbol. Hiccup raised the Jewel in his fist.

"Furious." He said calmly. "I have the Dragon Jewel."

* * *

Viggo stared at his son.

"What you say has no effect on me, son. Many have said such things to me. The words mean nothing to me. But I know the effect words can have on other people."

Fishlegs glared. "Don't call me your son. You are no father of mine."

Excellinor sighed. "As amusing as this little argument is, we have other things to do. Where's the necklace...what's your name? Fishlegs?"

Fishlegs glared harder. "Hiccup has it."

"HICCUP HAS IT!?"

A roar from above suddenly cut them off, causing everything on the ground to come to a standstill. Dragons froze, humans winced, as Furious's massive voice echoed over the land.

" ** _YOU DIRTY CHEATER!_** VERY WELL, HUMAN. BUT KNOW THAT I DO NOT DO THIS WILLINGLY."

Slowly, the dragons on the ground began to come out of the Red-Rage.

Only a few still fought, those upon whom the Rage was so strong that it took a lot for them to escape it. They were mostly Zipplebacks. Fishlegs watched as Ruffnut and Tuffnut found Barf and Belch, who were still under the Rage.

"Come on, you guys!" Ruffnut pleaded.

"Come back to us?" Tuffnut begged, getting closer and closer to the dragon.

"Tuff, don't!"

Tuffnut ignored her, getting closer and closer to the dragon, and holding out his hand.

Barf and Belch didn't recognize him. They growled in sync, then pounced.

"NO!" Ruffnut and Fishlegs yelled.

But it was too late. Barf snapped off the hand that was outstretched before him, and as Tuffnut stared at his bleeding wrist in horror, Belch lunged, and his teeth closed around Tuffnut's neck.

Ruffnut screamed wordlessly and fell to her knees.

Tuffnut's body crumpled to the ground.

Barf and Belch paused, shook their heads. Then the Red-Rage lifted. They stared in incomprehension at the scene around them, then at Tuffnut's headless corpse at their feet. Their mouths opened in shock. Tuffnut's head fell to the ground and rolled in front of his sister. Ruffnut fell apart.

Barf and Belch realized what had happened, and their roar of grief echoed through the quieted city.

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless landed on the middle of the city. Furious crouched down on his four knees.

"I was so close." He whispered in a growl. "So close to saving us." His great head sunk to the ground in defeat.

"Furious. We can work together. Please." Hiccup stood before the dragon. Furious looked down at Hiccup.

"No." The dragon said. "My kind is doomed."

All around them, wild dragons were leaving, flying away in great flocks. Domestic dragons were searching for their riders, and crying in grief when they found corpses, or roaring in relief when they found them alive. Those dragons who had killed their riders were crouched on the ground, weeping heavily.

The humans were re-grouping, those tribes who did not ride dragons setting up healer's tents and helping tend to the wounded, or gathering corpses by tribe, by family.

Hiccup's heart ached to see so many dragons in tears. Everyone knew that dragons only cried when they are either in deepest mourning, or have committed a terrible betrayal.

Hookfang was frantically searching, for who, Hiccup knew.

"Hookfang!" He called out. Hookfang stopped, and his face fell when he saw that it was Hiccup calling him, not Snotlout. He crawled over to Hiccup, a pleading look in his eyes, begging for good news.

Hiccup placed his hand on Hookfang's snout.

"I'm sorry, Hookfang." Hookfang began to tear up. "He's gone."

"Snotlout..is..dead?" Hookfang asked brokenly. Many dragons had utterly refused to learn Norse and Hookfang had only tried to learn it for a few months before giving up in frustration.

 _"Yes."_ Hiccup answered in Dragonese. " _I'm so sorry._ "

Hookfang shook his head, then curled upon the ground, weeping brokenly, hot, steaming tears dripping to the ground.

Suddenly an angry yell filled the air, and Hiccup turned to see Excellinor charging him with a sword. He tried to draw Inferno, but it was stuck. Toothless jumped in front of Hiccup, but suddenly Furious interfered, throwing a massive arm in the way of the sword.

"What?!" Excellinor screeched as the sword sank to the hilt into Furious's wrist. Furious flicked his wrist, sending Excellinor up into the air, across the city, and down, down, down...into a geyser. He snatched up Viggo and sent him right after. The two could be heard screaming before the geyser erupted, sending boiling water high into the air.

Viggo and Excellinor were no more.

But the sword had been poisoned. Everyone turned to look at Furious in horror as he crumpled to the ground, falling victim to the most poisonous of poisons known to human or dragon: the poison of the Venomous Vorpent.

"Perhaps I was wrong..." Furious breathed. "I was reminded of him, just for a moment. Do what you can, Hiccup. Do what you can to fix the rift between our races..before...it's too late...before...we all...kill..each other."

The glow left the dragon's eyes, and he died.

Hiccup laid a hand on the dragon's massive nose and bowed his head.

* * *

The Vikings were resting. The dragons were watching. It was dragon custom to watch over their dead through the first night, to make sure that devils didn't come to steal their bodies away. A relic of a custom from the first Dragon War. The frigid evening air did nothing to wipe away the heat and hollowness of grief.

Hiccup stood at the top of the hill, staring out to sea. Toothless was curled up next to him.

"What good did we ever do, Toothless?"

Toothless raised his head and stared at his human.

" _What? Hiccup, we prevented the extinction of both our kinds. That has to count for something."_

Hiccup sighed.

"But, Toothless, all I ever seem to do is get people hurt. It was because of my stubborness that Drago killed my father. It was because of my prejudice and ignorance that you lost your tail. And it was only because of my efforts that so many people died today. What have I done?"

Hiccup buried his head in his hands.

"Hiccup?" It was Heather. "Astrid sent me up to check on you. How are you holding up?"

"We've had this conversation a thousand times, but he won't stop blaming himself for everything. Maybe you can talk some sense into him." Toothless told her in Norse.

"Ah. Not well, I take it?"

Toothless shook his head.

"Hiccup." Heather came to stand next to him. "You remember when we lost Dagur?"

"Yeah."

"I blamed myself. For months and months, I thought it was my fault that my brother had flown to his death. Then I realized...it doesn't matter what you tell yourself. It matters what other people tell you. Because there's a lot of them all saying the same thing, and there's only one of you saying something different. I know you can't stop hurting yet. But maybe you come come down? Let your people see you. You're more than a Chief now. You're a King. They expect you to be the strong one. Can you do that, for them?"

Hiccup turned and hugged her.

"Thanks, Heather. You're a great friend, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, don't let it go to your head."

"Too late."

* * *

 _The Vampire Spydragon crept through the grass, hunting...hunting...aha!_

 _There he was. The thief who'd taken his tooth. Night Fury or not, the human would pay. Was that...The Dragon Jewel?_

 _The Spydragon would take it. Restore it to it's rightful place among dragons._

 _"I'm going to geeettt yooouuu, Hiccup Haddock."_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Hello, readers.**

 **So, next week, I'm going to be starting a new story for FF user Transcendence14, she can't write anymore and wanted me to write it for her. It'll be part one of a saga, "The Book Of Black Memories: Middle Earth." For those who are into HTTYD version of events, the sequel will be set mostly on Berk. The story was originally a crossover, but there was too much backstory for that, so now it's a two-parter.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **midnightsky0612: Yes, the feels are intense.**

Chapter Three

The Spydragon pounced.

Hiccup and Heather yelped, and Toothless growled. Heather and Toothless could only watch as Hiccup and the Spydragon grappled on the ground. Purple scales, enhanced eye plates, and red red red red eyes, with a long, curling tail, the Spydragon may have been the size of a human child, but it was strong, and more than a match for Hiccup.

 _"Give it to me!"_ The Spydragon screeched.

"It won't come out!" Hiccup yelled back, referring to the tooth embedded in his left arm, a bite that had caused the entire left side of his body to bruise and go numb at the time.

 _"Not the tooth...the Jewel...filthy human!"_

The dragon had Hiccup pinned, and he was staring into its furious red eyes.

"Okay, okay!"

Heather and Toothless gasped. What was he thinking?

Hiccup wrestled the Jewel out of his pocket and held it up.

"See? Is this what you want?"

 _"Give. It. To. Me."_

"No."

The Spydragon's eyes narrowed, but before it could say or do anything, Hiccup had tossed the Jewel.

"Heather, catch!"

Caught off guard, Heather fumbled for the Jewel. It glanced off her wrist and flew towards Toothless, who batted at it with his paw, trying not to hit it too hard but trying to keep it in the air.

It flew straight up.

Hiccup and the Spydragon lunged for it in the same moment.

It clattered through the Spydragon's claws.

It slipped through Hiccup's fingers.

It hit a sharp rock on the ground.

The Dragon Jewel broke in two.

All four of them were blasted back by the shock wave that emanated from the breaking point. They lay on the ground, helpless to the roaring sound of the cloud of _something_ that rose from the Jewel. Gray, swirling, a voice came from the vortex.

 _"YOU WHO HAVE BROKEN THE DRAGON JEWEL HAVE RID THIS WORLD OF THE DRAGONS. AS SUCH, THEY WILL BE FORGOTTEN, AND YOU WILL LIVE WITH THE SHAME FOREVERMORE."_

The cloud dissipated. They lay there for a second, clutching at their ears, wondering what would happen next.

Then the screaming began.

Dragons.

All in agony, all writhing and screeching. All over the world, the dragons died. Those who were bonded to humans were horrified that their human had to feel this pain as well. Those who were not cursed at the humans.

Back on Tomorrow, Hiccup, too, was writhing and screaming. He had been the last one to touch the Jewel, and so he was counted as the one who had broken it. All the pain of all the dragons who were dying racked his body, and because he was bonded to a dragon, he felt his dragon's pain. He heard his dragon's thoughts.

 _No. No! I cannot leave! My mate! My hatchlings! I cannot lose Hiccup..._

The world quieted as the dragons all fell to the great scythe of Death.

Hiccup lay panting on the ground, eyes clenched shut, still in shock. Still unable to believe what had happened. Slowly he became aware of Heather, shaking him and calling his name.

"Hiccup, please, don't you be dead too!"

He opened his eyes to see her kneeling above him, weeping. Then he saw Toothless.

 _"NO!"_

He scrambled to his knees and scrabbled over to the Night Fury's body.

"No, no, no, please, no..." But even as Hiccup begged his brother to wake up, he knew it was pointless. Toothless was dead. And a part of Hiccup's soul had died with him. Their souls had been enmeshed, inseparable, and now Toothless was gone.

Heather watched. She, too, was feeling the loss of her scaled sibling. In fact...all humans who had formed bonds with dragons were feeling the aftermath of pieces of themselves dying.

* * *

"You were all strong. You were brave. You were beautiful."

Hiccup paused to take a deep breath.

"You fought bravely, and we will always remember you. May you be welcome in the halls of the gods, and find peace in preparing for the end. May the Valkyries sing your name with love and fury..and..."

Hiccup couldn't continue, so he drew the bow and loosed the fiery arrow.

Behind him, a hundred Tribes followed suit, raining down shafts of glory and death upon the hundreds of boats while they sang the song of the dead.

 _Turn their bones to coral, Thor,_

 _Their song to wind and hearts to gold._

 _They'll live forever in the skies,_

 _Living gloriously with the gods._

Hiccup stared out to sea while he thought. They had won the war. But he had lost. Lost a cousin. Lost a friend. Lost a father. Lost a brother.

The boats were organized by family.

Hiccup saw Ruffnut, hunched over on the ground in grief. She'd cut off her braids.

There, the Hofferson boat held a proud Deadly Nadder, beautiful even in death.

There, the Jorgenson boat held one man, a Monstrous Nightmare, and a Deadly Nadder. Spitelout, staring at the boat, finally wept. Finally admitted to weakness.

The Thorston boat held Tuffnut, and the dragon with two heads.

And there. The boat of the Eretsons held a great Rhinoback. And Eret himself. Well. What was left of him.

The Ingerman boat held only a dragon. A red, plump, Gronckle, and her rider, her brother, cried for her.

Grump was dead.

Gothi was dead.

Big-Boobied Bertha was dead.

Hotshot the Hero was dead.

Viggo was dead.

Excellinor was dead.

Furious was dead.

Odin'sfang was dead.

Luna was dead.

 _So many_ dead.

And. There. The Haddock boat. With seven dragons. A Stormcutter. A Rocket Ripper. Two adult Night Furies. And three Night Fury hatchlings.

Hiccup finally collapsed, curling on the ground, not even caring about the image of a King anymore.

Astrid, Ashala, and Valka backed away.

"Why are you leaving me?"

Whispers rippled through the multitude.

"It's his fault...they say he was the one to break the Jewel..."

"What? No, no, it wasn't-!"

They were angry. They were grieving. They were choosing the easiest person to blame. They glared. They pointed. Their mouths moved.

"It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. _It's your fault._ "

Even those he had known since childhood were glaring, angry.

"Tribes of the Archipelago, I invite you to turn your back upon this man once more! This man whom we should have cast out long ago! This man whom we should have known better than to make our king!"

They turned. They all turned.

"No, please!" Hiccup begged.

"Hiccup! Freak! Screw-up! Boy who should never have been born! _USELESS!_ "

The revival of the old name from his childhood broke him. He stopped. He stopped entreating. He stopped moving. He crumpled to his knees and waited.

One person did not understand. Ashala tugged on Astrid's arm.

"Mama." Her voice rang out through the sudden silence. "Mama, why are you mad at Daddy?"

Without looking at her husband, Astrid scooped Ashala up into her arms and spit out four little words.

"Daddy killed your dragon."

Ashala's eyes filled with horror. She stared at Hiccup, tears forming, streaming. She cried into her mother's shoulder, and everyone left Hiccup. Some with harsh words, some with blows. Some did not even acknowledge him.

Alone, now, Hiccup stared into the sea. He considered throwing himself into it. Instead of being the village screw-up, he was now the Archipelago screw-up. Just perfect.

 _Guess I really am Useless._

Would anyone miss him? Would anyone cool off? Maybe. In time. Maybe.

Maybe they would forgive him.

Someday.

But today would not be that day.

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N ...Wow...**

 **I'm not ashamed, not even a little bit. :-)**

 **Okay, fine, I am. :-(**

 **Or am I?**


End file.
